No idea

I believe it's just for this week as he hasn't played for a while and with it been Leigh away probably for the best

Good call IMO

Surely all clubs are sorted for half backs with the business end approaching???!!!

We really do love London players dont we
With Addy seemingly on his way then i guess we need a 13 as well for next year
Anyone out there that is former London and can play 13
Maybe someone gradually making his way North....
London to Sheffield to Bradford??

First of all we don't need a 13 to replace Addy. Can anybody remember the last time he played 13?
We pumped up a substantial amount of the 500k that was raiswd 3 tears ago. We were then told we needed to pay SL prices to get a full time SL standard team. This so called bunch have failed to produce for the last two years. Really can;y help but think it's time they locked the doors and turned the lights off.

I'd hardly call last year a failure, we came pretty much as close to being promoted as you can get.
Yes if we don't make the top 4 then that is unforgivable, but I'm still of the opinion that there will never be a side promoted under this system anyway.

The prop and winger coming from London I'm guessing are for next season, can't see why they would want to come straightaway

Haha

Going to be one hell of a clear out.

My hope is a complete clear out. Buy a few players with quality and give the depth by signing up multiple juniors who got yet another impressive win over Catalans.

I reckon there is at least 8 we could sign up full time for next year and they will do a damn sight better than some of the dross served up by more senior players.

There does seem to be an attitude of what I can only describe as arrogance around the Bulls camp. We seem to feel we've a God given right to not only win but not have to try for the win.
We don't seem to be able to match other teams enthusiasm or aggression, despite being in our second year in the Championship and seeing how other teams lift themselves when playing us.

I think a clear out might be useful in terms of breaking that stance.

This is a continuation of last year when we were told that we had 23 friendlies before the real business got underway. I'm not sur all the players realise we need to qualify for it.

If it turns out the middle 8's are not reached, it will just mean that Rohan gets the chance to have a full clear out of Players mainly those not quite up to scratch and those wishing to move on to SL, The main thing is that he is able to use his contacts to get players that are out of Ferres' reach, which seems to me that Ferres reputation with agents is not that good, so hopefully that negativity is offset by Rohan's rep!

Another possible outcome of not securing a playoff spot is that the salary cap spend is reduced to cover the drop in funding. That might have been difficult last year as so many player were tied into 2 year contracts but it's definitely a possibility next year. I can see us starting the year well below the full cap spend with the view to adding to the squad if money becomes available. I believe the salary cap spend is usually based on season ticket sales but I can see a significant drop in membership sales with more people preferring to pay on the gate. It that's the case then the club may see an increase in match day revenue.

I think that it's still very possible to have a competitive squad providing there is a marked improvement on the recruitment front. More quality, less number with a view to bringing on some of our young starlets.

Surely if we end up going part-time (which seems to be the obvious path if we don't make the Middle 8s) Smith will be off? It won't do his stock any good to be coaching a Championship team that's got no hope of going anywhere. He'd be a fool not to have that option in his contract.

Given we've offered long term deals to players, it seems unlikely that part time is on the cards for next season.

At the Fans Forum. Rohan's first appearance. Marc Green asked do you want us to go part time? The answer was a resounding no from the floor!

I just wonder what difference losing £500k makes?

Depends how close to the wind we're currently sailing. Have we been making any kind of a profit these past two years? Have we spent practically every spare penny we had up until this point?
Does Marc Green have any funds to invest at all (odsal lease anyone?)?

I think a £500k shortfall is literally the worst case scenario, as I've said before we have no guarantees of making the mpg again - in fact very few probably anticipated getting that far - so the funding was in all likelihood going to be lower than last year's anyway.

Memberships will certainly be the bulk, but it also includes general turnover like shop sales, Bullpower, Bulls TV etc. This is what MG said earlier at the forum when he was exhorting us to buy from the club.

It''s OK, Matt Blythe isn't concerned about our position.

[i“I don’t really look at the league table – I look at our performances,” said Blythe.

“If we perform well, it will take care of itself. It’s getting towards the business end of the season where we need to be putting a few and performances wins together.

“That’s the main thing for me – not the table but enjoying yourself on the field and performing to the best of your ability as a team and as an individual.

“We will do that and we’re not far away. We are bound to get slated after the Halifax result but we’re not far off at all.”[/i

Well as long as you're having a good time on the field Matty, who gives a damn if we don't make the middle 8s. The business end was against Halifax and you lost. You got utterly bullied by Fax. Even if we win all our games, we might still finish 5th. It's out of our hands!!! I know actions speak louder than words, but his words speak loudly to me. We should be coming out saying how utterly pathetic we were against Fax, apologising to the fans, and saying we're under no illusions of the task in front of us. It's almost like they don't quite grasp of what might be about to happen to us or they don't care.

I'd guess Blythe was probably repeating the sort of thing that Smithy would have been saying.

In general terms, if you're playing well you'll be enjoying yourselves. We've stuttered along too much this year and, to build the sort of confidence we've lacked, I can see the sense in that attitude, to be honest.

But if he had come out and said that, he'd still have been slated for just spouting platitudes. The fact is, it is totally irrelevant what he says, what has upset the fans is what they do on the field, and not what they say.

You say his words speak loudly to you, but they don't. Whatever he said he wouldn't make me feel any better or any different. Are you saying had he said what you suggest, you'd be a happy bunny now? I don't think you would.

And the players 100% obviously knew very well before kickoff that the home game against Halifax was THE crucial game which kept our destiny in our own hands, and was a genuine 4-pointer, and that for me at least is the worrying thing. What they produced, in the full knowledge they could be effectively finishing the Bulls as a full-time team if they lost.

They failed last year because although they actually got results their performances were well below par which ultimately meant they were unable to up their game in various middle 8 games. Had they done so then we would have had a home tie with Wakey and who knows. Admittedly that is conjecture but not the part about the performances being dire.

That's exactly what I think will happen. The £500k shortfall will need to be made up somehow, and I'd be amazed if it was by the people behind the club.

I notice there was a post on facebook from Mr Gledhill regarding this. Whilst I always take Mick's comments with a pinch of salt, it was suggested that the club would put up season ticket prices in order to make up the shortfall for next year, should we finish outside of the top 4.

Personally speaking, if we're not in Super League next season, I will not be paying for a season ticket if the price increases. In fact, I won't be paying for one at the current prices again if we're still in the Championship. I've had a season ticket for approx 25 years now, but won't have one next year unless we are either promoted or the price drops. There's only so far blind loyalty goes in your club, and I'm afraid I've hit my limit now. Continuing to rip the fans off each year under the guise of "it's the only way we can afford a full time squad", regardless of whether it's true or not, is no longer on IMO.

But it's most probably true. Green isn't as wealthy as the likes of Beaumont or Davy. He always said he'd run it as a business. If we want a full time squad we have to pay for it. Nobody else is. There aren't any rich benefactors lining up. It doesn't matter whether it's "not on" it's the way it is. So either pay up or accept part time rugby.

Do you want a fulltime Bulls team?

If we go part time I'll not be buying a season ticket. But then if we went part time we'd probably go out of business pretty quickly anyway.